


The Wife of the Red Skull and the Resistant Soldier

by bellydancer_10



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Abraham Erskine possibly lives, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Hydra takes over, Dark fic, F/M, Forced Marriage, Period-Typical Sexism, Possible Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Post-Serum, Pre-Serum, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-04-06 00:23:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4200801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellydancer_10/pseuds/bellydancer_10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>fem!Steve Rogers with Alternate Universe where HYDRA takes over before WWII.</p><p>Johann Schmidt, leader of the terrorist organization known as HYDRA, had taken over the world after the Great War and ruled it with an iron fist, and Bucky and Stephanie "Stevie" had looked at for each other through it all. Wishing to join the rebellion known as the Resistance, they prepare to leave New York to join, but that all changes when Schmidt comes to New York and takes an interest in Stevie, taking her as his wife. Believing Stevie to be dead, Bucky goes to join the Resistance on his own and gets recruited into the SSR as one of the best snipers. Five years later, he is sent on a top secret mission to infiltrate Schmidt's castle as a spy where he finds out that Stevie has been alive this whole time. Slowly, Bucky helps Stevie heal from the scars that Schmidt carved into her heart, beginning a love affair that could jeopardize Bucky's mission and his life.</p><p>Rated M for language, violence, and possible graphic-description of non-con, so rating may go up, if that is the case. Also, characters may be OOCish, but I will try my best to keep them in character. Flames are not welcomed, but constructive criticisms are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Finding Hope

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little idea I had in my head for a while, and I decided to write a story about it. There are some slight historical changes in order to make the story work, but this is after all just a fanfiction. If I offend anyone by doing that, please do not take offense to it as I have nothing but respect for the men and women who served and died in WWII and I have no intention of doing that. This is just meant for fun and nothing more.
> 
> Due to this plot line of the story, Stevie as a female is probably going to be slightly OOCish as well as everyone else. It is because I had to think about what would happen to the characters and what they would do in certain situations like this, but I will try my best to keep the characters' spirits as accurate as possible. Also, this chapter is not going to have a lot of dialogue as it is just the background and the explanation of what happens as Schmidt takes over and what Stevie goes through during the whole thing. I am also not very good when it comes to describing fight scenes, so you may not see a lot of that. I am more of a peace-maker than a fighter, but I will try my best to be descriptive with the fighting scenes.
> 
> I do not own anything from the Marvel Universe (Disney? Since they now own Marvel?), it all belongs to them.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

For Stephanie Grace Rogers, her world had changed drastically when she was only six years old. It was the year 1924, and Steph and her mother, Sarah Rogers, had just celebrated Steph’s sixth birthday. Ironically enough, it was the same day that everyone celebrated American Independence Day, and it was a day that Steph always looked forward to because of not only of her birthday, but because she was able to celebrate it on the same day where she could see 4th of July parades and fireworks. Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, Steph had been taught by her mother to value freedom and individual rights, no matter what their gender or skin color is, and she had firmly believed that throughout her whole life, even when they had taken over.

It happened one afternoon about a month after Steph’s birthday. Steph was outside ‘playing with the other kids’ as her mom called it when it was really her drawing in her sketchbook while all the other kids played with each other since no one wanted to play with “poor, sickly Stephanie Rogers”. She was in the middle of sketching when all of a sudden the sky darkened and a humming noise could be heard, like an airplane, and Steph and all the other kids looked up to see a bunch of planes flying in the sky. At first, Steph thought they were American planes, but those planes were too dark and there was a  red logo with a skull and octopus-looking picture on the side of the plane, so she felt as if something was off. That’s when she saw the first bomb drop, and she remembered shouting at the other kids to run. The first bomb exploded and it was chaotic after that as people started running and screaming as the bombs fell from the sky and buildings exploded. Everything that Steph knew in her short six years of her life was being destroyed right before her very eyes, and she felt helpless, knowing that she was just a kid and couldn’t do anything to prevent those planes from dropping those bombs on her hometown.

Steph normally had a very good memory, but on the day that New York was taken over, she did not remember a lot as all she remembered was being surrounded by destruction and death. One minute, Steph was running back to the apartment where she and her mother lived and then the next, she was grabbed by her mother and being carried away from the scene, her mother trying to dodge the bombs and bullets that kept raining down on the city. The police force of New York and the U.S. Army together tried fighting against the mysterious forces that was attacking America, but they were stronger and able to defeat American forces easily, and so New York City had been taken over.

When the soldiers in their black uniforms with the same logo as she saw on the plane and their advanced-looking guns gathered all the survivors of the attack by force, they were taken to Times Square where the leader of the attack made an announcement, calling themselves HYDRA, an organization from Germany that sought world dominance. He offered the survivors a dilemma: give up their freedom and individual rights or be killed. Steph remembered that only one person stood up and refused, and she had looked with horror as she saw the commander of the attack shoot him in cold-blood and watched him bleed to death all over the ground. Steph knew she should have been scared just as everyone else was, but instead she was just angry, angry at how these people were pushing those who were defenseless around and taking away their freedom.

Although she could see it in her mother’s eyes that she did not want to relent, Steph’s mother had took one good at her and suddenly made her decision. For the safety of her daughter and hope that American forces would rescue them, Mrs. Rogers had consented to give up her rights. From then on things got worse: new laws were changed to more oppressive ones, survivors were forced to work with HYDRA as either soldiers or as factory workers, and the American forces fighting against them were growing weaker as the days went by. Eventually, HYDRA had nearly taken over the whole country by the time Steph was already nine years old and she had learned a great deal more about the terrorist organization known as HYDRA.

HYDRA was lead by a man named Johann Schmidt, who was considered to be by most a mad man, but he was also a scientist. He created the HYDRA organization, which was funded by the Kaiser of Germany during WWI as he was a brilliant scientist and war strategist, and it was those qualities is what made the Kaiser recruit him into the German army. Once he heard about Schmidt’s brilliant idea for the Great War, the Kaiser had put funding into his research, not realizing Schmidt had his own goals for his organization. He began to build weapons that were more technologically advanced than everyone else and started to build armies that were fiercely loyal to him. Once Germany had lost the Great War, Schmidt had decided to take advantage of the weak strength of the countries. He attacked Germany first, his homeland, before spreading out all across the European continent, gaining more territory and more followers as he did. France surrendered before Schmidt even had a chance to attack them, too tired and weak from the Great War, Russia and China conceded with HYDRA without a fight, and Great Britain and other European countries tried fighting against Schmidt and HYDRA forces, but they too eventually fell under his control. Schmidt had become a force to be reckoned with.

America had heard about the terrorist group before, but still hurting from the Great War, they chose to stay out of it, choosing to remain in isolation. They believed that they were safe from the terrorist group as it was on another continent and far from them, never realizing that Schmidt would be able to fly overseas and attack America.

Schmidt became rather infamous throughout the whole globe as a madman as he believed that there was a power hidden on Earth left by the gods that only ‘superior men’ could attain and he wanted to be that superior man. He delved into tons of research on how to become that superior man and on where to find this great power. He was also infamous as a ruthless dictator who would kill anyone without any remorse for basically anything. His word was law and he viewed himself as a god, and if anyone questioned that, they were to be killed immediately. He demanded perfection from his workers and any less than that, they were killed as well. He struck fear into the hearts of other people that nearly made everyone too afraid to go against him, even with the Resistance, which had been going on for a certain amount of years, pushing back.

Steph hated him and everything that had to do with HYDRA, for what they did to people by oppressing them, destroying families by separating them, brainwashing people to their cause, hurting others all because they believed themselves to be ‘superior’ and could do whatever they want. She had seen the way HYDRA had treated others who were seen as weak, she would know as she was often harassed by the soldiers and other kids who were brainwashed to their cause for being a ‘weakling’. To Steph, HYDRA were nothing more than bullies who just pushed people around like how neighborhood bullies did. She saw what they put her mother through as everyday her mother struggled to raise her child in such an oppressive environment and make sure that her daughter was protected. Laws were being passed that allowed women to work, but only to jobs where they could only be nurses, secretaries, waitresses and if they were desperate enough, a prostitute. Not wanting to lose whatever dignity she had left, Mrs. Rogers chose to work as a nurse at a hospital for HYDRA soldiers. It did not bring a lot of money into the small apartment they lived in, but it was enough to get by. Steph’s mother was always good with her money and made sure to only buy the necessities, but once in a while, she would buy some nice things for her daughter. Steph had often told her mother not to do these things for her as they had a hard enough time affording for things already, but her mother always just smiled her every time she did and told her that she was doing this to make her happy. Steph’s happiness gave her hope to keep going and at first, Steph did not understand why her mother kept clinging onto the hope as over the years she began to lose it. If it hadn’t been for Bucky, she probably wouldn’t have figured it out what her mother meant and continue holding onto it.

She first met Bucky when she was nine years old. She was walking home when she suddenly came across a group of bullies messing with another kid in a alleyway. Even though she was losing hope as the days went by, she still could not stand by and just let them pick on someone who was defenseless, so she immediately went to the kid’s aid. She threw the first punch at one of the kids and that’s when the fight between her and the bullies began. Steph tried throwing in more punches, but the bullies were bigger and stronger, so she couldn’t even throw in the next punch. It was then all of a sudden that shouting was heard down the alleyway and the alpha of the group was suddenly punched to the ground. Whoever her rescuer was the bullies turned their attention to him and tried to beat him up, but Steph’s rescuer was stronger and managed to chase them away.

“And next time, pick on someone your own size!” she heard her rescuer shout at them.

Steph knew she should have at least been grateful that she was rescued, but she actually felt angry for it. She hated when people did that, it made her feel like she was pitied all because she had a small body and people assumed she couldn’t handle herself all because of that. So when she got back up and faced her rescuer, who was a boy that looked at least a year older than her and was now sporting bruises on his face, she glared at him.

“What did you do that for?!” she yelled at him. “I had them on the ropes!”

“Whoa, calm down, I just saved your life,” the boy said.

“I didn’t need your help, I can take care of myself!”

Normally, boys around her age were put off by her attitude and she expected this boy to react the same, but she was surprised to find that the boy just smiled and started to laugh. This just made Steph even more angry.

“And just what is so funny to you?” she snapped.

“It-it’s nothing, it is just…I have never met anyone as small as you yet so full of fire, you are like a lil’ spitfire,” the boy responded.

Steph did not know if she should take that as an insult or a compliment, but seeing as how the boy did not seem to be upset by her attitude, like it normally happened with others, she decided to take it as a compliment and lowered her fists back to her sides.

“Thanks…I think.”

“So, lil’ spitfire, what’s your name?”

“Stephanie Rogers,” Steph said as she held out her hand and they shook hands. “What’s your name?”

“James Buchanan Barnes.”

“That’s quite a mouthful.”

“Well, you can call me Bucky if you like, almost everyone does.”

“Bucky?” Stevie tested the name on her lips and nodded in approval. “I like it, it fits you.”

“Now that you like my nickname, why don’t you let me pick a nickname for you?” Bucky asked. “I don’t know about you, but ‘Stephanie’ to me is quite a mouthful.”

“Well, my ma sometimes calls me ‘Steph’…”

Bucky scrunched up his face in disgust.

“Nah, that seems too girly for you, you don’t seem to be the type that likes girly things,” he said. “Your clothes tell me that much.”

It was true, Steph was never really much of a girly girl, always wearing boys clothing. The only time she wore dresses was on special occasions, such as her birthday. It made everyone else in the neighborhood look at her strangely, but Steph did not mind. Dresses made her uncomfortable, anyway.

“It has to be something that fits you well,” Bucky said as  he tapped his chin as if thinking deeply about a nickname for her until he suddenly snapped his fingers. “I got it! How about ‘Stevie’? It’s not too girly, and I think it fits you…”

Steph thought about the nickname for a while. She tested on on her lips a few times to see how she felt about it and found herself liking it, giving Bucky a genuine smile.

“I like it, I like it a lot.”

Bucky then gave her a smile that gave her a certain feeling within her. At the time, she did not know what the feeling was, but she found herself loving it.

“Do you live anywhere near here, Bucky?” Steph-now Stevie-suddenly asked.

As soon as Steph asked that question, though, Bucky’s posture went from confident to one who was heavy with sorrow. His eyes began to downcast and look into the distance as if he was thinking of a distant memory in the past somewhere. Steph did not need to know any much more than that, she knew by the way he reacted to her question that she already knew the answer to it. By the way he was dressed in those rags, he was considered to be what HYDRA had called ‘street orphans’. Since the orphanage buildings were destroyed during the invasion and HYDRA had not bothered to create buildings for orphans after it yet, there were many children out on the streets who were orphans and were often looked down on HYDRA patrol officers and their supporters. Most of these street orphans were thieves, stealing from the rich and sometimes from the poor if they run out of options in order to feed themselves. Street orphans were considered to be as nothing but dirt under their shoes and animals who only thought about their own needs instead of others, but Stevie actually knew they only did it to survive, she never fault them for that even if she was against stealing. If anything, it was HYDRA at fault for the reason why there were so many street orphans since they put them in that position and haven’t bothered to build new orphanage buildings yet.

“Hey, you don’t have to explain anything to me,” Stevie said once she realized that he was a street orphan. “Why don’t ya come over to my house and have my mom feed you? I am sure she would allow it; besides, you look like you haven’t eaten in days. I would almost say you look skinnier than me.”

Bucky gave her a grateful look and gladly accepted the invitation to come over to her house. It was a bit of a walk to the small apartment she and her mother lived in, but the two children didn’t mind as they talked on the way there and got to know one another a little better. Bucky found out what happened to her and her mother on the day of the attack from HYDRA and that they have been living in a small apartment in Brooklyn after the attack where her mother was paying rent. Not only that, but he found out that Stevie really liked to draw and taught herself how to become a better artist by old, worn out instruction books that were not destroyed during the attack and that she wanted to one day learn how to paint. In return, Stevie learned a little more about Bucky, finding out about his tragic story during the attack. Turns out, Bucky had been living on the streets for quite some time ever since the invasion of HYDRA started as he got separated from his mother during all the chaos and never saw her again after that, believing her to be dead. He had been living on the streets then, begging for scraps or money from people, most of the time stealing food from people when he was really desperate. Stevie had felt really sorry for him and guilty for believing that her and her mother’s life was rough during the HYDRA occupation when so many others had it worse than them.

When they finally arrived to Mrs. Rogers and Stevie’s apartment, Stevie had already saw that her mother was home from work. It looked as if her mother had had a rough day as her posture was slouched and her eyes looked really heavy from fatigue, but when she saw Stevie walked in, she gave her one of her most beautiful smiles that Stevie always loved about her.

“Hi, my little Steph, how was your day? And who is your new friend?” she asked when she noticed Bucky. She then noticed the bruises on her daughter and friend’s face, though, and frowned. “Steph, what happened to your and your friend’s face? Have you been fighting with the boys again? You know how I feel about you fighting…”

“‘M fine, ma,” Stevie replied, brushing off her mother’s hand from her face when she tried looking over the bruises. “This is Bucky, he helped me out when these bullies in the neighborhood were beating me up.”

“Bucky? Is that your real name?” Mrs. Rogers asked him.

“No, my real name is James Buchanan Barnes, but everyone else just calls me Bucky,” he replied.

“Well, thank you so much for doing that for my daughter, Bucky, that was very gentlemanly of you,” Mrs. Rogers said. “Not many people nowadays would do that for her.”

“My pleasure, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Sarah, everyone does. Are you hungry?”

Bucky shook his head yes rather enthusiastically, looking rather excited at the thought of being able to have food for God knows how long.

“Oh, yes, Mrs. Rogers, very much so!” he said, completely ignoring her request to call her by her first name.

“Oh, there is no need for formalities here, Bucky, just call me Sarah.”

Bucky looked hesitant.

“Would it be okay if I call you Ms. Sarah? It is just that my ma had always taught me to be polite to my elders.”

“Yes, of course you can. Why don’t you and Steph sit on the couch and wait while I go get the first aid kit? You both need to have those cuts and bruises tended to before I make dinner.”

“Ma, I’m fine, you don’t have to worry about me,” Stevie tried to insist.

Her mother would hear none of it.

“Steph, don’t start that, I know you are far from fine when you say you are…”

Seeing how there was no point in arguing with her mother, Stevie just walked over the couch reluctantly with Bucky following her. Mrs. Rogers then disappeared down the hall for a few minutes and then came out with the aid kit, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. She opened the kit and takes out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some white tissues before applying it on the children. The alcohol had stung for both of them, but they beared it silently until Mrs. Rogers finally finished and then went to kitchen to make dinner for all three of them. While she did that, Bucky began to make small talk.

“You are pretty lucky I came in just in the nick of time,” he said. “They probably would’ve done a lot worse if I hadn’t come across you guys in time.”

“I still woulda been able to handle them even if ya didn’t,” Stevie replied determinedly. “Just because I look smaller and weaker than others doesn't mean I am capable of handling myself. Or do you think I couldn't handle myself because I am a girl?”

“It really had nothing to do with that…”

“Well, good, because I am not like most girls! Just because I am a girl doesn’t mean that I am just as capable as boys are.”

She crossed her arms and glared at him as she said this, expecting him to challenge this. She almost expected Bucky to laugh at her for this like everyone else did, but instead, he just smiled and said something that was completely unexpected.

“You pretty much have proven that today, even if you didn’t have the upper hand in the fight, but you were pretty determined in showing them who’s boss. I admire that.”

That was completely unexpected. Normally, boys would just laugh at her for saying that, telling her that she would never be capable as boys and should just stick to girly things like playing with dolls or putting makeup on. It got her angry every time they did as if they have the right to tell her what she should or shouldn’t do. However, in his own way, this boy just told her that he was completely okay with her being the way she is.

“You…you are okay with me not acting like a girl?”

Bucky just shrugged in response, telling her that he was completely okay with it. Curious as to why, Stevie could not but help and ask.

“Why do you not care? I mean, most boys do care and tell me that I should do more girly things.”

“Well, I am not like most boys, am I?” Bucky said with a smirk on his face, repeating what she said earlier, saying ‘boys’ in place of ‘girls’.

Stevie was surprised by his response and it showed, but she began to smile as she realized that this was the first boy that was okay with who she was and was willing to accept it.

“No, I guess not…”

What he said made her happy and began a beautiful friendship that would last for years.

When Mrs. Rogers heard that Bucky was a street orphan and had been living on the street ever since the attack, she offered to allow him to stay with them as long as he wanted out of the kindness of her heart, and Bucky happily took her offer. Since then, he had lived with the Rogers and became close friends with Stevie. They were like two peas in a pod, always taking care of each other and Bucky trying to keep Stevie out of trouble-keyword, try. Mrs. Rogers began to view Bucky as her son and treated him as such, making sure that he got what he wanted and needed, just as she did for her daughter, with the best of her ability. He often would feel guilty that she would do that for him, so he would try to do things in return like helping Stevie do chores around the house and trying to make extra money through begging or easy, safe jobs so she could afford for the both of them. Mrs. Rogers insisted he didn’t have to try to get money as she was fully capable of doing it on her own, but Bucky was adamant in helping out, so she allowed him to do it.

It was through Bucky that Stevie learned why her mother still held onto hope that they would be able to fight back against HYDRA and win. It happened one winter where it was considered one of the worst on record, and Stevie had gotten really sick to the point where she was not getting better. Bucky had stayed by her side while her mother worked even more hours so she could make enough to buy the medicine that would help her get better, but it was still not enough. She was not there when it happened, but once she was better, Bucky had told her that her mother had begged the landlord to give her more time on the rent in order to take care of her daughter. However, the landlord, who was a supporter of HYDRA, refused and told her she had to pay up or get evicted. She had cried so hard that day, believing she was forced to choose between staying under a roof and letting her daughter die or try to save her and live on the streets. That’s when Bucky took things into his own hands. Going to the pharmacy in the middle of the night, he broke into the store and stole the medicine that would help her. After Stevie got better and first heard what Bucky did, she was at first angry that he would endanger his life like that for her and then asked him why he did it.

“Because I am nothing without you, Stevie,” he explained to her with tears in his eyes. “If I had just done nothing and let you die, then I would have never forgiven myself or go on. You are what keeps me going, even when everything seems hopeless and there seems to be no point. You help me stay strong. If I lost you, then I would’ve seen no point in continuing to live.”

That’s when Stevie realized that it was hope that helped her mother stay strong even in the midst of oppression and suffering. It was the reason why she still believed that America and other countries would overthrow the HYDRA empire and take back what is theirs. It was hope that kept everyone going, even when everything seemed hopeless around them, and Stevie began to hold on to it more fiercely before. To her, hope was something to hold onto to stay strong and keep pushing even when people kept telling you no. Hope was Bucky, who inspired her to keep going, and she prayed that would never be taken away from her.

Fate was not kind one day, though, as they were taken away from each other. All seemed lost for them, but hope had still found it’s way into their hearts, even when everything seemed hopeless around them at that time.


	2. Chapter One: Johann Schmidt, the Leader of HYDRA

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stevie and Bucky have grown and gotten jobs in order to survive a war-torn world, and Stevie meets the leader of HYDRA for the first time that forever changes her life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone, here is the first chapter and Johann Schmidt makes his first appearance in this chapter. I will let you all know that this will probably be the last chapter I will be writing in a while because I am currently transferring to a four-year university, which I am so excited for (And today is my birthday as well :D!), so updates will probably be rather slow since I have to dedicate a lot of time to studying there once I go there in September.
> 
> I tried my best to depict what the characters go through if they were ever thrown into a situation like this. In the beginning of this chapter, it mentions how Stevie gets a job as a waitress for a fancy restaurant and before any of you get upset, I just wanted to explain a little bit. I don't really know if women got jobs as waitresses during this particular time, and I know some of you believe that a female Steve Rogers would do something different, but I decided to go with that to make the plot work a little; plus, I did not want to seem like I was taking someone's idea and turning it into my own. Stevie working in a fancy restaurant where a Resistant operation is going on is actually based off of an episode in Star Trek: Voyager, which is called "The Hunt" or something like that. If any of you have seen Voyager and know what I am talking about, then I'll give you props.
> 
> Also, as an add note, I will be going by the MCU, but I will probably make some references to the comics. In this chapter, Stevie is seventeen-almost eighteen-and Bucky is ninteteen. I know some of you are a little put off by underage relationships, but during this particular timeline, the age did not matter. If you guys have any questions or concerns about my fanfiction, please feel free to leave a comment and I will reply back as soon as I am able! I will say again, though, I do not welcome flames, but constructive criticism, I will accept.
> 
> I do not own anything from Marvel.
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter!

_**April 1936** _

Things had changed as time went on.

Johann Schmidt still had a strong grip on the European and North American continents with new rumors flying around the world. These rumors were not necessarily in favor of Schmidt, though, as any whisper of those rumors were immediately suppressed. There were rumors about the leader of HYDRA that he eventually became what he always wanted and that is a superior human being. A German doctor by the name of Dr. Abraham Erskine was held by Schmidt against his will due to his ‘Super Soldier’ Project that would make any human into a superhuman and become physically strong. When Schmidt heard of his work, he forced Dr. Erskine to give him the serum on the threat of his family’s life, but he ended up not getting exactly what he wanted. Even though Schmidt became physically stronger, there were other effects to it. According to the rumors, the serum had disfigured Schmidt, turning him into the monster he already was, his whole face turning into a skull-like feature in a saturated red color, which gave him the nickname the ‘Red Skull’ to his enemies. It was a nickname that Schmidt was not overly fond of and would not hesitate to kill someone if they even uttered the name in his presence. Even though Schmidt was not happy with the results of the serum, he became stronger and he was viewed as a god to his loyal followers, but to Stevie, Schmidt was only a man-a man who liked to bully his way in order to get what he wanted. She would never view him as her god or ruler, even if he threatened her with her life.

Schmidt was not the only person that changed over the years, Stevie and Bucky had changed as well, both physically and mentally. Bucky had grown taller, at least close to six feet tall, with short dark brown hair and brown eyes that made him very handsome and attracted all the ladies. Stevie couldn’t quite blame them for being attracted to Bucky, he was quite the looker that she even caught herself staring at him like that a few times.

(Even with the war going on and people dying everyday to fight against Hydra, people still tried to find time to date and go out to bars to dance and whatnot, try to at least live a happy life. It kept their minds off the war, even if they saw the neverending ominous presence of the HYDRA soldiers.)

Stevie did not change much over the years. She grew taller, being at least five feet tall, but she still stayed rather skinny due to her poor health. She had an angular look to her face due to her thinness with lips that had not quite reach its full potential (‘And probably never will,’ Stevie thought) and curly blonde hair that was rather long-about to her mid back-and bright blue eyes. Her thinness did not really get her a lot of attention from the opposite sex, which often upset Bucky a lot whenever he tried setting her up with a guy since he believed that any guy would be lucky to have her and he called her beautiful numerous times. Stevie wasn’t really sure why he kept calling her beautiful when, according to some men, she was far from beautiful. Maybe he was just trying to keep her hopes up that the “right one” will turn up soon when she would rather be with him. For as long as she can remember, she has cared for Bucky as more than a best friend and brother, but she was too scared to say anything to him, so she kept her feelings towards him to herself. There were so many things she was not afraid of, but the one thing she was afraid of was losing Bucky, she didn’t want to destroy whatever friendship they already had. Bucky was the best thing that has ever happened to her and the thought of losing him terrified her; plus, she felt as if she would not be his type and was not attractive enough for him. Most of the dames he went out with were gorgeous, curvy, and _feminine_. Stevie was far from feminine from all the other girls her age, wearing men’s clothing, except on special occasions, that hid her figure and no make-up, which did not attract a lot of attention of men to her. She didn’t mind that she didn’t get much attention from men, though, since she felt like she couldn’t really try to pursue a relationship with Bucky or anyone for that matter. What with a war going on, there was the possibility that Bucky could die anytime soon, and Stevie did not think she could handle that kind of heartache if she was to be with him.

Not only did they physically grow, but both of them had to grow up rather quick and learn how to take care of themselves when Stevie’s mother died of tuberculosis.

It was a few years ago when Mrs. Rogers died, and it happened when they were just teenagers, Stevie just fourteen and Bucky fifteen. Stevie had to learn for the first time how to take care of herself at such a young age. They had to move out of Mrs. Rogers’ apartment as it was too expensive to afford and they needed to get jobs in order to take care of themselves, so they moved out of Mrs. Rogers and started renting for cheap in a new neighborhood. They both managed to get jobs with Bucky getting a job at the docks while Stevie worked as a waitress in a fancy restaurant. It was where a lot of HYDRA soldiers and their supporters went, and Stevie hated working there. It made her sick to her stomach every time she had to serve somebody who committed all kinds of atrocities against innocent people in the name of a man who believed himself to be a god. It would be the last job she wanted to do, but it was the only place that gave her a chance, even when they knew how sickly she was, and she needed the money in order for her and Bucky to get by. Times were hard, especially when there was a terrorist organization as powerful as HYDRA that made living difficult.

When she first started working there, her boss Wesley and her coworkers kept her at a distance. Stevie first thought it was because she was different, which angered her a lot, but then she realized one night when she overheard them in a secret meeting that they were actually part of the Resistance, spying on high-ranking HYDRA soldiers for them. When they found out she knew, they were at first frightened, but then immediately became surprised and bit suspicious that she asked to join. They never thought someone as small and sickly as Stephanie Rogers would be able to join. They thought she was a HYDRA spy, trying to receive information, but they immediately threw away that theory when they saw how she genuinely hated HYDRA and that if she was a spy, then they must have sent the worst of them. Stevie was just not spy material, according to her boss. Every time she asked to join, she would be shot down, saying that she was too unhealthy to join and was not capable of being a spy for the Resistance, but it did not stop Stevie from trying again and again.

It was in the month of April when Stevie came home after a long day of work, walking back in her uniform, which consisted of a black skirt that went below the knees, black slip-on shoes, and a white buttoned up shirt with her nametag. It was really black high heels for the women’s uniform, but the only reason the boss made an exception for her was because Stevie could not walk in heels as she tripped over them almost every few seconds. She walked up to the door of her and Bucky’s apartment, ignoring the judging stares and whispers from some of her older neighbors who believed it was scandalous for a man and woman to live alone together and unmarried. Stevie did not care what they said or thought about her and Bucky. Let them think what they want, she thought, it was none of their business anyway even if their relationship was anything like that.

She unlocked the door of the apartment and opened it, feeling a slight breeze as she did. Once she walked in, she saw that Bucky was already home asleep on the couch, no doubt tired from a long day at work, and the window was open, which would explain the breeze she felt. He woke up as soon as she walked through the door and closed the door behind her.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Stevie asked him when she saw him wake from his slumber.

“Nah, ‘s all good,” he slurred out from sleepiness as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “I was actually waitin’ for ya to get home…”

“Oh, really? Was it because you wanted to make sure I made it home safe before you went to bed?” Stevie asked in a slight teasing tone. “You know you don’t have to, Bucky, I’m perfectly capable of getting home safe without you being my knight in shining armor whenever I run into a bully on the way.”

“I know that, but to me, I will always be your knight in shining armor, even if you consider yourself a shieldmaiden,” Bucky replied with a playful wink.

He gave her a look that Stevie could not quite read, and it was that look along with his comment and the wink that made her blush and look away from him. She knew he was flirting, they would always flirt with each other, but only in a joking manner. Sometimes, she swore he was serious when he did, but she would always think that this was Bucky, the guy who went out with many different women-women who were incredibly curvy and beautiful. She was not even close to being attractive enough for Bucky to go for someone like her, she was going to be a friend and nothing more.

Not quite comfortable with “flirting” back, Stevie changed the subject.

“So, how was work?”

Bucky just shrugged his shoulders and responded, “It was okay, just the same ol’, same ol’.”

He was giving her a look with his eyes, though, that told her that something did happen, he just couldn’t talk about it at the moment when the window was open. It was a thing that they have been doing ever since they first met, a silent code that only they understood in order to tell the other that they have something to say to that was for their ears only. What with HYDRA eyes and ears everywhere, they had to be really careful in what they said, especially within their own homes. Taking the hint, Stevie tried acting natural by wrapping her arms around her as if she was cold.

“Do you mind shutting the window? It’s a lil’ chilly.”

It wasn't really that cold, there was a breeze, but not enough to make her cold. She was just saying that to hear what Bucky had to say to her. Once Bucky shut the window and closed the blinds, that’s when she finally asked her question quietly.

“Alright, what’s goin’ on? Does it have anything to do with HYDRA or the Resistance?”

“It has to do with a lil’ bit of HYDRA, but it mostly has to do with what happened at work today.”

“What happened at work today?”

“Well, for starters, the boss approached me today and gave me a promotion…”

“Really?” Stevie cried out quietly in shock, her eyes widening. When Bucky nodded his confirmation, she smiled ecstatically and hugged him. “That’s great, Bucky, congratulations! I am so happy for you! But what exactly does that have to do with HYDRA?”

“Apparently, Schmidt is here in New York and just arrived today…”

At this, Stevie felt her eyes widen in shock at the sound of the leader of all of HYDRA’s name.

“Schmidt? As in Johann Schmidt, the leader of HYDRA?”

“Yes.”

“He has never visited the States before. How did you hear this?”

“I overheard two HYDRA patrol officers talking to each other as I was taking my lunch break during work today, they said that he arrived by plane today.”

“What exactly is he here for?”

Bucky only shrugged in response.

“Your guess is as good as mine, I never got to hear the rest of their conversation ‘cause I got called back to work. Whatever he is here for, it can’t be good. It is possible he may be getting upset with our _governor_ ” And by governor, he meant the military leader of the state of New York “about not dealing with the rebellion fast enough and preventing people from joining, and he may deal with it himself. If that’s the case, then we need to be more careful in getting out of here. With this new promotion, I will get paid even better and we will have a chance of getting out of here quicker than expected…”

The thought of being able to leave New York earlier than expected made Stevie happy. For months now, she and Bucky have been planning on leaving New York and going west of America in the countryside where one of the hidden Resistance bases were to join them, but their financial situation made it rather difficult to do that. Even though it pained her to leave New York since it was her hometown, she knew she couldn’t stay here any longer and watch people get hurt everyday and not being able to do anything about it.

When the invasion first began and oppressive laws were being passed, a lot of people were leaving to join the rebellion known as the Resistance. As the days went by, more and more people were leaving the cities to join the rebellion, not being able to take the oppression any longer. People within power-as in people who supported HYDRA-began to see this as an issue and passed a law that restricted people from traveling unless it was for family, education, or business matter, requiring common citizens to have traveling papers that was signed and approved by the new governing body. Some people within New York were not happy about this law and tried rebelling against it by just walking to Resistance bases, but they were immediately brought back and killed right before the public’s eye to show everyone what would happen if anyone else tried to rebel.

Stevie had cried so hard that night when she saw all those innocent people die by HYDRA’s hands right before her eyes and it made her angry that she couldn’t do anything about it. She vowed that day, she would find a way to join the fight within the Resistance, even if they kept telling her no because she was a woman and unhealthy. She was not going to stand by while people like her and Bucky were suffering under the hands of HYDRA and got away with it.

Bucky then brought her out of her thoughts.

“But while that is happening, we need to stay out of trouble from any law enforcement.”

He was giving her a knowing look, and Stevie immediately knew what he was talking about and became annoyed right away. Ever since she could remember, she had been starting fights with HYDRA patrol officers whenever she saw them harassing someone, whether it be man or woman or child, and it would get her arrested every time. Whenever she saw a person getting harassed by them, Stevie would immediately come to their aid and punch one of the officers, which is what got her arrested, and it would be Bucky who would have to pay for her bail money. She was lucky enough that she was never killed on the spot for it as some often were; however, there were quite a few close calls, but Bucky would always be there in the nick of time to help her before that happened. There was always the threat of her being killed every time she stood up to them, but Stevie would damn herself before she allowed herself to walk away and let bullies walk all over others.

“What do you expect me to do, Bucky?” she asked in an irritating tone. “Just stand there and walk away, pretend as if they ain’t causing harm to innocent people? You know that ain’t me, I can’t just let ‘em walk all over people just ‘cause they feel like they have a right to.”

“I am not askin’ you to stop standin’ up for people, all I’m askin’ is for you to be careful in _how_ you do it. Don’t be throwin’ punches at ‘em, that could get you arrested or possibly worse killed. If you wish to get out of the city together as soon as we can, then you need to stay out of trouble from the law enforcement. The more you get arrested, the longer it is going to take for us to get out of here.”

Stevie sighed in irritation, not really wanting to do as Bucky said. Normally, she would fight him against this kind of situation, wanting to keep on standing up for the innocent even if it got her arrested, but he was right. If they wanted to get out of New York as fast as possible in order to join the Resistance and help protect the innocent, then she would need to be careful in how she stood up to HYDRA patrol officers. The Resistance were going to need all the soldiers they needed in order to win the battle against HYDRA.

“Fine, I will try to keep out of trouble from HYDRA patrol officers, but do not expect me to make an exception for neighborhood bullies as well!” she snapped at him.

That’s when Bucky gave her one of his trademark smiles that always got her to blush and said, “I do not expect any less from you, my lil’ spitfire.”

Stevie could feel a smile come onto her lips when he used her special nickname for her that he had been calling her ever since they first met. The nickname always reassured her that no matter what, he will still love her just as she is: a stubborn and mouthy thin-looking girl.

“Are you hungry?” she suddenly asked him.

“Famished,” Bucky responded.

“Good, ‘cause it’s your turn to cook.”

“Aw, man, and here I was hopin’ you woulda been like my housewife and cook dinner for me when I got home,” Bucky said with a little pout on his lips.

He was being sarcastic, of course, but it did not prevent Stevie from hitting him upside the head.

“Go and cook it yourself, ya jerk!” she said as she did.

“Ouch! Jeez, I was jus’ kiddin'! ‘M goin’, ya damn punk…” Bucky said as he went to the kitchen to cook dinner.

Stevie just rolled her eyes at him with a slight smile on her lips before going into their bedroom to change out of her work uniform into something more relaxing, not even noticing Bucky’s gaze following after her as she did.

* * *

 

Bucky watched Stevie go with longing in his eyes as she walked down the hallway to their bedroom. Once he heard her close the door, he let out a heavy sigh before going into the kitchen to make dinner. After going through on what they had, he decided on making pasta. They have had it already, but it was all they could afford to eat anyway. As he cooked dinner for two, his mind drifted to the girl-close to a grown woman now-changing in their room.

They have been the best of friends for nearly eight years now, although it felt as if they knew each other their whole lives now. At first, Bucky believed he cared Stevie deeply as a sister, but it was when he turned thirteen that he realized he was in love with his best friend. He tried denying the feelings at first, trying to mask it with sibling-like affection, but he could no longer deny it one day.

It was the year he turned thirteen and Stevie had gotten really sick that she nearly died that one winter. He had never been so scared in all his life to lose someone he was close to, except that day of the HYDRA invasion when he got separated from his mother. He tried remaining hopeful that Mrs. Rogers would make enough to buy the medicine in order for Stevie to feel better, but the rent was coming up and that damn prick of a landlord would not give her time to pay the rent so she could take care of her daughter. Realizing that he could lose Stevie forever if she didn’t get treated soon, he took matter into his own hands by going to that pharmacy and stealing the medicine she needed. It was something he had not done in three years since he moved in with the Rogers, but feeling as if he had little choice in the matter of the situation, he felt it was the only option he had. If no one was going to help his lil’ spitfire, then he was going to do it himself.

Mrs. Rogers knew right away as soon as Bucky came home late at night with the medicine in his hand that he stole it. She did not say anything to him, but Bucky could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew what he did, yet she was eternally grateful to him for it, even if she disapproved of him stealing it. They gave Stevie the medicine and after two days of waiting and wondering if the medicine worked, Stevie woke up from her illness weak, but alive. Bucky had been so happy to see his best friend alive that nearly tears of joy ran down his face.

It was after that that he realized that he was, in fact, in love with his best friend. He knew that he wouldn’t do that just for anyone if it was anyone else, so he knew that he was in love with her; however, he was too afraid of saying anything, so he just didn’t say anything to her about it. He felt it was better to not say anything than ruin whatever they already had, so Stevie never found out about his true feelings. Mrs. Rogers, on the other hand, knew about Bucky’s true feelings for her daughter, and Bucky did not know she knew until the time she was dying.

It was when Mrs. Rogers was on her deathbed that she revealed to Bucky that she knew about his true feelings for Stevie. At first, Bucky was surprised that she knew and was worried she would give him a disapproving stare as if to tell him she did not approve of him, but instead, what she ended up doing was smiling and said,

“You are such a good man, Bucky, and I think you deserve her, even if you think you don’t. Please promise me you will take care of her when I am gone…”

Bucky had swore to her that day that he would live up to her promise, even if it killed him, and three years later, he still loves Stevie. But even after years of being in love with her, he had still never told her about how he truly felt for her. A part of him was still afraid of ruining whatever great friendship they already had, and he would rather keep his feelings a secret than lose her as a friend. Instead, what he would do is go out with a different dame almost every week and try to set her up with a guy to see if there was another guy out there who would appreciate her for the way she is. So far, no guy has shown any interest in her.

“Too skinny,” they kept saying.

Everytime that happened, it pissed Bucky off because those assholes could not see what he saw: a bright, wonderful and beautiful woman whose heart was too big for her tiny body. When he looked at Stevie, he never saw the sickly, too skinny girl, he just saw Stevie, the kid who would never run from a fight and help those in need without even thinking of her own safety and not care what everyone else thought of her. That’s what he loved so much about Stevie, he just wished other guys would see what he saw. He loved everything about her, and it is why he would normally not ask it of her to not jump to somebody’s aid when they were being harassed by HYDRA patrol officers, but he felt there was need to. He loved Stevie for her bravery and fearlessness, never afraid of standing up to HYDRA, even if it meant her death, but it also scared him as well. He was afraid that one day that her bravery would lead to her death and, call him selfish, he just did not want that to happen. He loved Stevie, and he did not think he could live in this world without her. Besides, he made that promise to take care of her to Mrs. Rogers and he swore to her that day that he would live up to that promise. So far, he has lived up to that promise and he hoped he would continue to do so.

Bucky had not realized he had been so deep in his thoughts that he did not hear Stevie call out his name until she shouted it loud enough to get him out of it.

“Bucky!”

Jumping out of his thoughts, Bucky turned around and saw Stevie standing there in her regular clothes that made her almost look like a boy if it wasn’t for her long hair and giving him a concerned, yet confused look.

“I called your name like three times and you didn’t answer me,” she said. “Are you okay? You ain’t gettin’ sick, are ya?”

“Uh, no…” Bucky began, “sorry, I was just, uh, just thinking.”

“What were ya thinkin’ about?”

“Oh, uh, nothin’, just thinking about my promotion at work,” Bucky lied before letting out a laugh. “Kinda hard to believe that a guy like me would ever get a promotion.”

Stevie then gave him one of her bright smiles that nearly always made him weak in the knees and said, “I don’t find it hard to believe, you got more potential than you give yourself credit for.”

There she went again, her neverending belief in him. Another thing Bucky loved and admired about her, it is what gave him hope and smile every time.

“I could say the same about you…”

Stevie smiled shyly at him before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The act was so simple, yet Bucky found it incredibly endearing. Suddenly, Stevie gasped and cried out.

“Bucky, the water! It’s over boiling!”

“What? Ah, shit!”

Bucky turned and saw that Stevie was right, the water in the pan on the stove was over-boiling and it was starting to spill out of the pan. Quickly turning off the stove, he took the pan off of the eye and put it on another. The water immediately stopped overboiling, making Bucky sigh with relief.

“Thanks for that, I guess I was just too deep in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that,” he said.

“Luckily, you have me to help you out, eh?”

 _Yeah, I am pretty lucky_ , he wanted to say in a way that would make her understand how he felt for her, but he just choose not to say anything instead. He felt like such a coward for not telling her how he felt about her.

“Why don’t you lay down on the couch for a while? You look like you are about to fall face-down on the floor any minute.”

“No, I am fine,” Bucky insisted, “it is my turn to cook.”

“Bucky,” Stevie started sternly, “of all the times you have taken care of me, you should let me take care of you. Go rest, I will take care of the rest.”

Bucky was reluctant to it, but he allowed it. He made to leave the kitchen while Stevie walked past him to cook the pasta when he stopped, wishing to say something to her.

“Hey, Stevie?”

“Yeah?”

Bucky turned to her to say something, however, no words came out of his mouth as soon as he did. This happened every time he tried telling her how he felt, he would just choke up and then tell her it is nothing, not being able to have the courage to do it. Maybe it’s because he felt it was not the right time to tell her, especially when they were now focusing on trying to get out of the city and join the Resistance. Getting into a relationship now when there was the possibility one of them dying before the other in this war was probably not the best idea.

“Uh, thanks,” he said instead, telling her that he was grateful to her taking care of him like he does for her all the time.

Stevie seemed to get the message because the confusion that was on her face went away and was replaced with a bright smile that melted Bucky’s heart.

“Anything for you, Bucky.”

She then went back to cooking dinner for them and Bucky watched her turn with a heavy heart, wishing he had the courage to tell her the truth. ‘ _Soon, sometime soon, I will tell her how I feel when the time is right_ ,’ he thought as he went to sit on the couch.

‘ _Whenever that is going to be_ ,’ he added as an afterthought before he fell asleep on the couch again as soon as Stevie finished making dinner.

* * *

 

It was the next day that Stevie was on her way to work in her work uniform and a braid in her hair with a slight skip in her step as she was on her way there. The thought of Bucky’s promotion and being able to get the money to get those damn traveling papers and get out of the city made her happy. For years, her and Bucky have been talking about wanting to get out of the city and join the Resistance, but timing and laws made it difficult. They needed a roof over their heads and food on the table in order to survive, and that meant getting jobs first. At first, it almost seemed impossible to get those papers because of the high taxes HYDRA enforced on them and having to pay the rent and put food on the table. They were trying to save up money for it, but something always kept coming up: Stevie had to be bailed out of jail, she got sick, the apartment got flooded with water, or the taxes were too high that they had to use up all their saving money in order to pay for it. But now with Bucky’s new promotion, he would be making more money than before and they would have an easier time paying for things in case of emergencies.

She managed to get to work without any incidents and went through the back door, as most employees are instructed to do. The restaurant normally did not open til about 11 a.m. and was not usually very chaotic, but when she first walked in through the back door, she was surprised at how chaotic it was and suddenly felt her heart stop as she saw the fearful look on her coworkers’ faces. Her coworkers have looked afraid before what with being under threat of being caught of being a spy for the rebellion, however, the look they had on their faces was raw fear. They looked so scared that even her boss, Wesley, who was normally good as a spy for the Resistance, looked scared as well and was breaking a sweat on his forehead. It was weird to see him that way because even in times of pressure he was able to keep his cool. Everyone was acting like as if they were about to meet the devil himself.

The waiters and waitresses were going in and out of the kitchen rather quickly, and the chefs were trying to organize everything, but whatever had them scared made them quite jittery and they kept dropping things. Wesley kept yelling at one of the chefs every time they dropped something or sometimes one of the waiters or waitresses whenever they mention an issue out in the restaurant. It would sometimes make one of the waitresses cry to which Wesley would apologize profoundly and tell them not to take it seriously for it is just the stress talking. After that, he would go around to make sure that everything was well organized and if it wasn’t, he would yell some more to tell his employees to get it organized.

Who or what could have caused her boss and co-workers to run around in fear as if the devil was chasing them? That’s when it suddenly clicked in her head as she now remembered what Bucky told her last night.

_Schmidt._

It was the only explanation she could think of at the moment as to why Wesley and all of her co-workers were stressed out and looked as if they were about to be killed any minute now. Even the most capable and bravest Resistant spies still fear Schmidt.

She walked through the kitchen, trying her best to avoid getting ran into and managed to get to her boss’ office where she saw him walk into. The door to his office was halfway open and due to all the chaos going on outside of it, anyone who was not near the door could not hear what was being said inside, but since Stevie was near the door, she could hear the conversation going on inside the office. From what it sounded like, it was Wesley and Anna, one of the waitresses part of the Resistance, who was a very attractive red-haired and blue-eyed woman, talking to each other.

“I am sorry, Wesley, I know being his waitress will help, but I just don't think I can do it,” she said to him. “I am just so scared, I am afraid he will see right through me. I have heard stories that he is able to do that just by taking one good look at you.”

“Anna, those are just rumors, no one can take one good look at someone and immediately tell who or what they are,” Wesley tried reassuring her, but his tone suggested that he didn’t even believe what he said himself. “He will not find out if you just remain calm and be your usual charming self.”

“I just don’t think I can do it…”

“Anna, please, I need you to do this,” Wesley said in a begging tone. “I have asked every other waiter or waitress who I thought were capable of doing it and they all said no, they’re just too scared to do it. You’re the only one who I’ve thought of that could do it…”

“Not everyone…” Anna said in a knowing tone.

Wesley must have known what she was talking about because he immediately objected to it.

“No! No way am I resorting to that!”

“Come on, Wesley, she is the only one who is brave enough to do it! I know she is not spy material, but maybe if you just give her this one time-”

“No! I am not going to risk this operation just because one little girl wants to prove herself to be just as capable as any other person.”

That’s when Stevie decided to open the door, nearly scaring both Anna and Wesley, but they both relaxed when they saw it was just her.

“Damn, Rogers, you can knock, ya know? This is my office! What is it that you want? I am in a very important and private meeting right now.”

“I’ll do it,” Stevie responded.

“Do what?”

“Serve Schmidt. If Anna doesn’t want to do it, then I will.”

“Damnit, Rogers, what did I say about eavesdropping on other people’s conversations?”

“That eavesdropping is quite rude, I know, but I was not here this whole time, I just happen to know who you guys are talkin’ ‘bout,” Stevie responded. “News around New York travels rather fast.”

Wesley looked rather annoyed, but just let it go.

“Alright, fine, I’ll take that, but don’t do it again,” he snapped at her. “Besides that, you can’t serve Schmidt.”

“Why not?”

“Because ya just can’t! I need to have someone who can sweet talk information out of him, and you are not qualified to do that.”

“I highly doubt that a man like Johann Schmidt would freely give out information to any woman just by her sweet talking him. If you want someone to spy on him for you, then you need someone brave enough to do it, and I am qualified to do that.”

“She is right, Wesley,” Anna said, “it will take a lot of hard work on my part just to get somethin’ outta him, possibly even more, and I am not willingly to do that.”

“I wouldn’t ask that of you,” Wesley said, knowing exactly what she is referring to. The thought of having to put her in a position where she would have to sacrifice her dignity disturbed him, and he was not willingly to do that either.

“So then let Stephanie do it. As she said, we are going to need someone brave enough to do it, and she is the only one here who can probably face Schmidt without so much as flinching.”

When Wesley said nothing, Anna continued,

“She doesn’t even have to talk to him, just serve him and be done with it. It can be you who can try to get information from him.”

Wesley was quiet for a few moments, and both Stevie and Anna waited with bated breath of what he would say next. It was then that he finally sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“I am so going to regret this…” he began before finally relenting. “Fine, I will let her serve Schmidt…”

On the outside, Stevie looked rather calm when her boss said this, but on the inside, she was so happy. After years of trying to join the Resistance or help in someway, she was _finally_ given a chance to contribute to the Resistant cause. If she could not lay her life down for the men and women who gave up their lives for common people like her and Bucky, then she would be alright with spying on Johann Schmidt for them. If it helped them in someway, then she would gladly do it.

Wesley then turned to Stevie and pointed a finger at her, continuing to talk.

“But that does not mean I am officially letting you in, you are there to serve him and nothing more and I will do all the talkin’, ya understand?”

Stevie just nodded in understanding, trying to appear serious. She did not want to give him any indication that she would give away any information of any kind that any of them were part of the Resistant, her boss looked frightened enough as it is.

“Also, no sass-mouthing him, and keep your emotions in check,” Wesley continued. “The last thing we need right now is for the leader of all of HYDRA to be gettin’ suspicious of us because ya said somethin’ to him.”

“I won’t, I promise,” Stevie responded.

“Good, now get to work and make sure to meet me at the front of the restaurant at 10:55 sharp.”

“Yes, sir.”

With a quick good luck from Anna, Stevie then went out of the kitchen and into the restaurant where she helped other waiters and waitresses organize the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, it was rather fancy-looking as any other fancy restaurants. There was a dance floor towards the back with a stage in front of it where all the bands and musicians played music and a beautiful chandelier above the dance floor. Towards the front was where all the tables were set up with the white table cloths over it and chairs that looked rather comfy to sit in, but were elegant. On the tables, there were elegant-looking plates with wine glasses right in front of the plates, silverware on the side right next to the plates, and on top of the plates were the napkins that were folded in a certain way to make it look rather elegant. It looked like your average fancy restaurant, but it was rather unorganized at the current moment with all the waiters and waitresses that were out there trying to organize everything, but they were all jittery that they kept dropping some of the silverware or messing up on how to fold up the napkins like they usually do. Stevie then went up to one of the waitresses who looked on the verge of crying soon and helped her out in folding the napkins, and the waitress was grateful to that for she gave Stevie a smile for it and looked like she was about to cry again, but instead of out of fear, it was out of gratitude.

She did this with everybody, helping out and trying to calm them down for the inevitable arrival of the leader of HYDRA, while she also made sure that certain areas were organized and clean. It was when it was getting close to 10:55 and by that time, the band was already setting up and getting ready to play for their upcoming audience. Stevie took a good look at them, recognizing some of them from the dance clubs that she and Bucky would sometimes go to where they would play swing. Swing dancing was frowned upon by those within power, so the only music that was played outside of the dance clubs were either classical or slow dancing music.

Turning away from the band, she walked towards the front where Wesley was waiting for her and he handed her two menus.

“Johann Schmidt will be dining with the governor, and they will be here in five minutes,” he told her. “Remember, look sharp, be polite, and don’t say anythin’ to ‘em that would get us in trouble.”

“Yes, sir.”

He took Stevie’s verbal response as her obedience and then stood beside her as they both waited for Schmidt and the Governor.

As they both stood waiting, Stevie could not but help get a little nervous. Even though she told herself she was not afraid of Johann Schmidt, it was just the fact that he was _the_ Johann Schmidt, the most ruthless dictator known throughout all of history, he gave people a reason to fear him that even the strongest and bravest of men were afraid of him. Stevie wondered what he looked like, especially now with his disfigurement, to cause such fear, although it probably had a little more to do with his personality than his looks. She also wondered if he would be able to tell right away if her boss and her coworkers were part of the Resistance and if he would kill them and her right on the spot just for working there. He was known for not leaving any survivors even if they had no connection with the Resistance. However, Stevie remembered even if Schmidt had a lot of power and caused so much fear in others, she refused to let that scare her away from doing this. He was just one man and nothing more, even if he and some of his followers likened him to a god.

Stevie’s thoughts were then interrupted by the sound of a loud vroom from outside and she looked outside of the restaurant in time to see a black V16 Coupe pull up right outside the restaurant.

 _That must be Schmidt_ , Stevie thought. There were two men who were in the car, and they stepped out and walked towards the restaurant. As they did that, Wesley rushed to the door to unlock and open it for them.

Stevie could feel herself start to get nervous again at having to meet the leader of HYDRA for the first time, but she managed to remain calm on the outside, trying to think of this as just facing down a bully out on the streets of Brooklyn, which seemed to work, for her nerves seemed to calm down The two men entered the restaurant, one of them that Stevie recognized as the governor of the city, who looked rather nervous to be there, and the man who entered with him was no doubt Johann Schmidt.

She took one good look at him and was…quite startled by what she saw. Instead of the disfigured person she expected, she found herself staring up at a rather tall and handsome man that she hated to admit to. Schmidt stood about over six feet tall that Stevie would have crane her neck just to look up at him in the eye and walked with such confidence, but in a way that made him seem rather arrogant. He looked about in his mid to late 30s with a strong looking jaw and cheekbones, and he had brown hair that was slicked back and ice-blue eyes that were so full of coldness that it sent a shiver down her spine. Covered nearly head to toe in black, he wore a black soldier’s uniform with red trimmings on it, boots, gloves, a military hat-which he took off when he entered the restaurant-that had the HYDRA logo in front, and a black leather long coat that had a HYDRA logo pin.

All in all, he was a very handsome man for someone of his age, and Stevie saw no signs of him being disfigured as the rumors suggested, although she noticed how he kept touching his jawbone. Not that Stevie was suddenly physically attracted to the leader of HYDRA, she was just surprised that a ruthless dictator like Johann Schmidt was rather handsome. It’s funny how the most beautiful people turned out to have the most ugliest of personalities.

Wesley opened the door for him and the Governor and he greeted the Governor first with a warm welcome.

“Welcome back, Governor, it’s so good to see you again!”

The Governor nodded in acknowledgement as Wesley shook hands with him.

“You as well, Mr. Wesley, I hope business for you is going well, especially with the war going on,” the Governor said.

“Oh, business is still going fine as usual, sir, it’s like I say to every new customer I see: keep the war outside.”

“Of course,” the Governor said. He then indicated to Schmidt right beside him. “Mr. Wesley, may I introduce you to our renowned leader, Kaiser Johann Schmidt.”

“Kaiser Schmidt, we’ve been expecting you,” Wesley said, holding out his hand for Schmidt to shake which he did. “It’s an _honor_ to have you here in my restaurant, sir, I hope you plan on staying in New York for a while. New York is a beautiful city to visit.”

“Indeed,” Schmidt responded, and Stevie could hear a thick German accent as he spoke. “From what I have seen so far, it is quite beautiful.”

“Are you here in New York for business or pleasure?” Wesley asked.

“Originally, I am here on business, but as of now, I am here on pleasure,” Schmidt said. “The Governor insisted I come here and try your food, I hear you have the best service and food here.”

“Indeed we do, Kaiser Schmidt. Why don’t I show you and the Governor to your table?”

He then indicated to Stevie to follow him as he led Schmidt and the Governor to their table, and she followed them as Wesley continued talking to Schmidt.

“We also have great music that all our customers like to listen to while they dine, if you so desire...”

“I prefer the German classics, but I know American musicians can’t play those, so anything classical I would prefer over that loud and annoying sound that young Americans call jazz.”

His arrogant tone about how American musicians could not play any of the German classics well irked Stevie some. To imply as if none of them could play anything such as Bach or Beethoven made her angry, she has known some musicians who could play them well. ‘Maybe they are not up to your standards, but at least they can play it,’ Stevie wished to say, but she kept her mouth shut.

If her boss was angry about how American musicians couldn’t play German classics, he didn’t show it.

“Of course, I shall have the band play a couple classical numbers for you,” he said. “Here is your table. I made sure you had nothing but the best seats while you and the Governor dine here. In the meantime, I need to be gettin’ back to work, but I shall be back soon.”

He then turned to Stevie and introduced them to her.

“Stephanie will be your waitress for today, and she will take care of all your needs. Anything you need, you have but to ask her or you could even ask me whenever she is not available. Gentlemen, please, enjoy!”

He then turned around to go towards the kitchen, glancing at Stevie briefly and giving her a look as if warning her to behave as he did. Stevie then turned to face Schmidt and the Governor who both in return stared back at her. The Governor was giving her an expecting look while Schmidt stared at her in a rather calculating, but curious way that it made Stevie wonder why she provoked such a reaction. Most of the time, guys would be rather indifferent to her due to her small frame, but Schmidt was looking at her in a way that she could not read and it gave her the chills. Not wanting to dwell on it too much, though, she immediately went into business and handed them their menus and began serving them, almost finding it hard to believe that she was actually serving Johann Schmidt.

“Is there anything I can get you two to drink while you go through the menu?”

“I will have a brandy, straight, with ice,” the Governor said.

Stevie nodded in acknowledgement before turning her attention to Schmidt, having to hold back the spit she so badly wanted to spit at him. And it took a lot of work on her part to give him the respectful title that he did not deserve.

“Is there anything you would like to drink, Kaiser Schmidt?”

“Do you serve any schnapps?”

“We do, but it will probably be sweeter than what you are normally used to with the regular schnapps.”

At this, Schmidt sneered and spoke in an annoyed tone, “Why do you Americans like all your beverages sweet?”

Stevie glared at him, not at all liking his attitude, and she started speaking before she could even stop herself.

“I don’t know, why do you Germans like all your beverages hard?”

Realizing what she just did, Stevie wanted to curse at herself for doing that. The last thing she needed was for Schmidt to get mad at her for her sass. Not that she cared if she sassed him off the clock, but Wesley and her co-workers were on the edge enough as it is, they didn’t need Schmidt suspecting that they were part of the Resistance. He looked surprised by her sass and at first angry, for he glared at her and gave her a challenging stare as if daring her to do it again. Stevie, not wanting to be intimidated by him, just stared right back, wanting to show this bastard that she would not take anyone’s shit, especially his. She almost expected him to kill her, but she was surprised when his facial features softened into a smile and he started to chuckle, making Stevie’s skin crawl.

“Touché, _Fräulein_ , I guess it does not hurt to try something new,” he said. “I will have your schnapps, straight as well, no ice.”

Stevie nodded before turning on her heel to go get their drinks. As she did, she could not help but feel that this was going to be a long and hard day, and it was going to take a lot of work on her part to restrain herself from attacking Schmidt for all the things he did to cause so much suffering in the world.

She came back a few minutes later to their table with their drinks. As she did, she overheard a quiet conversation between them and started slowing down to hear it.

“…focus be on trying to catch them in the act,” the Governor said.

“Are you trying to tell me, your leader, what I should and should not do?” Schmidt responded in a tone that suggested he was not happy.

“No, of course not, my Kaiser, I just think maybe we should focus more on the operation before you go looking.”

“Enough, Governor! Know your place! Remember, it is your job and life that is on the line.”

“Yes, sir.”

Stevie then arrived with their drinks and that’s when both men stopped their conversation. She made a mental note in her head to tell Wesley about the conversation she just overheard between them. She set the drinks down on their table and she noticed the Governor immediately grabbed for his drink and took a large gulp of it, his hand shaking slightly as he did.

‘ _Even his own subordinates are afraid of him._ ’

Pretending not to notice the Governor's palpable fear, she turned to Schmidt who was taking a sip of his own drink, making a slight displeased look when he did.

“It does have a bit of sweetness to it, nothing like the schnapps back in my homeland.”

Stevie could feel her irritation rise a little. ‘ _Well then, don’t order it next time_ ,’ she wanted to snap at him, but she went with the polite way of saying it instead.

“If you want, I can take the drink back and get you another one, something that is probably less sweet…”

“No, this will do, I suppose. Have you ever tried schnapps before, _Fräulein_?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“You should try it when you get the chance, it is a great drink.”

“I will take your word for it,” Stevie responded with a bit of a snap before changing the subject. “Have you gone through the menu yet and decided on what you want?”

“Not quite yet, but I do have a question,” Schmidt began. “What is an omelette? I never heard of such a thing, we don’t have anything like that in Germany.”

“Is there anything that you have in Germany that we don’t have here?”

There she went again, running her mouth again and getting sassy with him. She expected him to get angry this time, for him to take out his gun and shoot her in cold-blood, but was surprised once again when he didn’t and just smirked.

“A bottle of fine schnapps,” he responded.

Boy, if she was not on the clock, she would not hesitate to punch this bastard, threat of being killed be damned. Schmidt must have noticed her anger because his smirk became wider before changing the subject.

“I’ll have the brunch special number one.”

Stevie wrote that down on her notepad and then turned to the Governor who told her he wanted a cheese omelette.

“Would you like another brandy, sir?”

“Please,” he said in an almost pleading sound.

Stevie grabbed his cup and left the table to pour more brandy for the Governor. When she was done, she brought it back and slammed it on the table in front of the Governor. She slammed it on the table more than what was necessary, but she did not care at the moment, she was too angry at the moment to care. The Governor seemed upset by it while Schmidt just seemed amused by it, laughing when she did.

“She is quite rude,” she overheard the Governor say as she walked away.

“Yes, quite rude indeed…”

Stevie walked faster to the kitchen to prevent herself from saying or doing anything that she would later regret that would get her boss and all the rest of her co-workers in trouble, not noticing the way Schmidt was staring after her. She was walking so fast that she didn’t even hear the last thing that Schmidt said before she walked into the kitchen.

“But also rather intriguing as well.”

Stevie had to go to the employees' restroom after that in order to go somewhere private to let out her anger. If she couldn’t do it in front of Schmidt, then she would do it somewhere where she could. She locked the door behind her and began letting out all her rage that she had tried so hard burying while she was out there, kicking and hitting the wall and nearly screaming. She tried thinking for a moment that it was Schmidt she was punching and kicking instead of the wall and it worked after a while, for she finally began to calm down and get her thoughts together.

‘ _Is this what it took to become a great spy? To hold in your feelings and sweet talk to people within HYDRA just to get the information you needed?_ ’ Stevie thought. She did not think she could do it, she was not the type of person to not express how she truly felt. Maybe Wesley was right, she was just not cut out for being a spy; she wore her heart on her sleeve and people could read her like an open book. Being out there and trying to serve Schmidt pretty much proved that. After this, she would just go back to serving these HYDRA elite assholes, but very soon when she and Bucky get out of New York, she would join the soldiers on the frontline and would gladly sacrifice her life for them and for Bucky, if it ever came to that.

After calming herself down and telling herself she could do this since she had survived worse, she went back out there and did her job. It went pretty smoothly after that, for Wesley had decided joined them and Stevie didn’t have to interact with them, except for filling their drinks and bringing out their order. She spent most of her time taking care of other customers while Wesley handled them, and it was not until noon that the Governor and Schmidt finally decided to leave.

Stevie was at the front of the restaurant, handling a customer’s check, when she heard someone clear their throat and she turned to find it was Schmidt who had gotten her attention.

“Kaiser Schmidt, I hope your brunch was enjoyable,” Stevie said, trying her best not to sound impolite.

“It was quite delectable, thank you,” Schmidt said. “I had the Governor pay for our meal already, but I just wanted to come to you and thank you for services and also to give you this.”

He handed her a tip that was, to her surprise, consisted of a hundred dollars and it caused her eyes to go wide in shock. That was a huge tip, bigger than what any other waitress she has known here had gotten so far! What could have caused him to give her such a huge tip when she was quite rude to him?

“Why are you giving me this much of a tip?” she asked. “It’s a bit much, don’t ya think?”

“No, I believe you provided excellent service for me, so I think that deserves a great tip,” Schmidt responded.

Stevie gave him a rather incredulous look. He called her being snappy and sassy with him ‘excellent service’? Was the schnapps getting to his head or something? Regardless of that, she couldn’t take the tip, she had done nothing to deserve it, so she tried handing it back to him.

“I can’t take this amount of tip.”

“And why not? I am generous enough to give that much when not many girls such as yourself would receive such generous offer from me. Most girls would not even hesitate to take that amount of money from me, their Kaiser.”

Stevie felt her blood boil again. She wanted to tell him how ‘generous’ he really was, but she decided not to and said something else instead.

“Well, I am not like most girls, am I, Kaiser Schmidt?”

She expected him to get angry this time for her sass, but, again, he just smiled.

“No, you are not.”

He then put on his military hat and bid her goodbye.

“Please, keep the tip. I hope to see you soon, _Fräulein_ , you have made the experience…rather interesting. _Auf wiedersehen!_ ”

He then finally left and once he did, Stevie went right back to work, but not before going to the employees’ restroom again to let out all her rage. As she did, she thought over what Schmidt said to her before he left and told herself that she hoped she would never see _him_ again, never realizing that it wouldn’t be the last she saw of him.

* * *

 

Intriguing.

That would be the word Schmidt would describe the rather saucy waitress named Stephanie. When she first sassed him, Schmidt first become angry. ‘ _How dare she disrespect me, her emperor_ ,’ was his first thought, but when he stared her down, trying to intimidate her to submission, he was surprised to find that she just stared right back, not even once flinching. Either this girl was brave or foolish. Either way, he found it rather interesting and he could not help but laugh at it. No girl or women has so far been brave enough to stare him in the eye and become saucy with him, they were all too scared, but no, not this one. This one did not even seem remotely afraid of him, and, although Schmidt found pleasure in people’s fear, he found himself liking the girl’s bravery.

He could tell right away that she was not a Resistant spy and if she was, then he would find it laughable because he would consider the rebels desperate to send the worst spy of them all. She was too emotional and it was quite obvious that she did not like him just by the way she talked to him and looked at him. That Wesley fellow, on the other hand, definitely was just by the subtle way he was trying to pry information out of him about his business trip and HYDRA and the way he was quickly trying to befriend him. Schmidt found a lot of pleasure in seeing the owner get nervous whenever he mentioned the word ‘rebels’ in his presence, even though he tried really hard not to let it show, but Schmidt was able to see it. He was definitely going to have his spies watch over this place from now on.

Schmidt’s main purpose of being in New York was to show his incompetent American subordinates how to deal with rebels, but since the serum, he has been in need of a wife-someone who would create the superior human race with him. He has been looking for a wife since his transformation and kept the doctor all this time because of it. However, even if he picked one and transformed her into a superior human being, it would in no way make her equal to him. Women would always be inferior creatures, in his mind, no matter how hard they fought for their “rights”. Men would always be the dominate species, and nothing they say or do would change that. He has been looking and so far, no women in every country he has been to has kept his interest. They were either too scared of him or the ones who weren’t bored him to death. This one didn’t, though, and it had him intrigued.

She was definitely not the most attractive, she was rather skinny and gaunt-looking, but if she continued to keep his interest and the doctor did his job right, then that would no doubt be fixed. Schmidt would definitely make sure to come back and learn more information about this Stephanie. After all, he was the Kaiser of the whole world, he could allow himself a little indulgence once in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I got the spirit of Bucky and Stevie's relationship down and Johann Schmidt's character. If not, please let know, and I will keep that in mind for the upcoming chapters. Seriously, any advice on what Bucky and Stevie's relationship and Johann Schmidt's character is, I would gladly take because it will seriously help me in write a better story. Also, don't ask me if Americans started serving omelettes during this time, I just went with the flow.
> 
> Interesting fact of the day: According to the MCU wiki, Bucky is a Pisces and Steve is a Cancer, and those two zodiac signs are considered the most compatible.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> Kaiser=Emperor (took a few German language classes and was surprised to find that Kaiser meant emperor)
> 
> Fraulein=Miss
> 
> Auf-wiedersehen=Goodbye
> 
> Up next, Stevie keeps getting unwanted attention from Schmidt.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I described how Bucky and a female Steve met accurately. I read a bunch of other fanfictions on here of how Bucky and Steph would meet and I agree with other writers that is how they would met and become friends; plus according to my research, that's how they become friends. And I know Bucky would be not the type to steal anything, but I always imagined him doing something like that for Stevie if they were ever in that particular situation. I decided to let Bucky use the petname "lil' spitfire" for Stevie because, whether as a male or female, he/she always seem to be described as having a certain fire in them and I decided to go for that :).
> 
> Again, constructive criticisms are welcomed, but please, no flames. If you have any questions or some confusions and want clarity about my story, though, feel free to leave a comment. Thank you!
> 
> Up next, Stevie and Bucky have grown up and Stevie meets the leader of HYDRA...


End file.
